Making Amends
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Kawachi and Meister, while on a lunch break from training for their match against Azuma, take a few moments to chat.


Author note: I don't own Yakitate! Japan.

Warnings: Canon-compliant, takes place during the manga arc where Azuma is trying to get the ancient wheat from his grandfather and Kawachi is training under Meister's tutelage. Spoilers _for the entire rest of the manga beforehand, but mainly Meister's backstory as revealed in the Pantasia Newcomers Arc and the Monaco Cup Arc._

I hope you all enjoy reading!

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_**Making Amends**_

Summary: Kawachi and Meister, while on a lunch break from training for their match against Azuma, take a few moments to chat.

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Silence invaded the space between Kawachi Kyosuke and Meister Kirisaki as they ate in back corner of a small restaurant.

Kawachi couldn't help but wonder if Meister was okay. Sure, Meister seemed made of steel; rarely showing any emotion if any underneath his mask, perfectly immaculate and all. Heck, the man was training him to up his skills against Azuma for their match, to get the ancient wheat! This was the strongest bread craftsman Kawachi knew of (other than Azuma, who beat him, as well as many others but still).

But Kawachi also knew this: Meister, like him, got brainwashed by Yuiichi Kirisaki.

It still sickened Kawachi that anyone would do that to their own son, even if they were under the control of some evil bread themselves.

Now that he thought about it, the (former? Now current again? It was complicated right now) General Manager himself hadn't said anything about how he felt post-mind control. Given Meister's elusive and generally hidden nature, there was little Kawachi really knew of him, save for what he learned from Sophie and Matsushiro. It was clear that Meister cared for his father, even if they were estranged. Why else would Meister go to the lengths that he did, allowing himself to be under his father's control?

But then it occurred to Kawachi again: _Why _would Meister literally let himself be under his father's control? And so fast, too? He figured it was for the purpose of finding a way to save his father, sure, but what convinced him that joining forces with his father against Pantasia was the best opportunity at the time? How did he feel about that right now, since it was all over and done with?

"Kawachi-san? You alright?"

Kawachi blinked, looked up at his master. Senpai. Whatever the proper term was, given their odd, current bond as master and disciple, with Meister training Kawachi (could it be called training, given those weird chopstick techniques?) to beat Azuma that is.

"Uh, yeah." Kawachi scratched the back of his head, started eating again. "I'm fine, Meister-han."

"I was just concerned, that's all. You stared into space for quite some time." Indeed, Meister already finished eating his own food, just drinking tea at this point. "Just having a train of thought, I suppose?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. That's all." Kawachi finished eating about half his food. Hey, at least it was progress. "I was wondering…how are you? After the whole mind-controlling thing, that is."

He watched Meister go very still at that. His face was mostly unreadable, partially due to the mask obscuring his face as usual, but his eyes looked hesitant.

"I mean, uh," Kawachi started, swallowing, "No pressure if you don't want to talk about it. I'm sure that it sucked, drawing from my own experience."

"Yes," Meister quipped after a moment, "It _did _suck. And though it's an unfortunate experience, now that you mention it…I suppose we've eaten rice from the same pot, haven't we?"

"I guess we have." Kawachi grimaced, recalling the brief, hazy time he spent in the hospital, trying to warn Azuma and the others about Yuiichi Kirisaki. And then he remembered saying a lot of _"What'd you say!?"_ and _"What the hell!?"_ at some point before finally regaining consciousness and realizing he was still strapped to his hospital bed but simply transported to the site of the competition. "You were under that influence way longer than me. Honestly, it's a miracle you weren't strapped to a hospital bed like I was."

"Because I didn't fight the influence like you did. I almost envy you, actually."

Kawachi almost choked on his food at that. _What?_

Kawachi stared up at his mentor. The mask was still there, but Meister still looked uncomfortable. Sad, almost. "You…never fought it?"

"No. I don't think I would've been under my father's control if I wanted to fight his influence in the first place." Meister's lips twisted at that. "When I told Matsushiro about my father and his abandonment of me and Sophie, I told him that I'd never go back to my father and rely on him. Of course, I didn't know at the time that he was possessed by a literally evil bread he accidentally created, either. But when I saw my chance to potentially reunite…" He shook his head. "I should have known better. Or at least talked to one of you about it beforehand so all of you wouldn't be so shocked. I betrayed all of you, and I'm not proud of that."

"But," Kawachi argued, "You were trying to get your father back."

"I could hear him calling me nothing but an underling, at the hospital, but I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything about you when you ended up bedridden." Meister looked Kawachi in the eye. "I was the one who put you under his control _in the first place_. I'm even surprised you actually let _me_ mentor you, out of all people available. I was expecting you to say no."

Kawachi let silence fall between them, briefly breaking the eye contact before speaking.

"Meister…did you offer to mentor me because you wanted to make it up to me about the whole mind-control thing?"

Meister Kirisaki opened his mouth, but then shut it immediately. Kawachi can't tell if he doesn't want to admit it, or if he's looking for a way to properly phrase that admission.

Judging by how Meister swallowed before speaking, it's likely the latter.

"When you put it that way," Meister finally admitted, "I think that's part of it, if not all of it."

"Well, then I forgive you."

Meister had his turn to stare. "I'm not sure if it's supposed to work like that…?"

Kawachi gave him a slight look. "That's how it's working right now."

Meister looks skeptical. Kawachi doesn't blame him for that. "I'm still pretty sure it's not supposed to work like that. In my experience, forgiveness is not often immediate, especially without asking for it."

"How did you think it was going to work?"

"That I'd have to figuratively grovel for the rest of my life to all of you." Meister sighed. "When I came to Pantasia in the first place…Matsushiro, and slowly, the rest of you, became some of the closest friends and maybe like family I've ever had since leaving France. Turning my back on all of you at such a vital time is more than wrong of me. I'm surprised all of you even took me back after it was over."

"We were all pretty shocked when you left." Kawachi admitted. "I think if it wasn't for Manager telling us about why you left, we probably still would've been mad to an extent."

"I thought he'd tell you about my past at some point." Meister sipped his tea again. "I thought about stopping him, but…after I met you and Azuma for the first time, and heard about you from both Matsushiro and Tsukino, I felt I could trust you two, given their trust in you already. Especially during the Pantasia Newcomers Tournament."

"And especially now?"

"Yes." A smile played on his face. "Especially now. But I certainly understand if you still don't trust me."

"If I didn't trust you," Kawachi stated, "I don't think I would've accepted your offer to train me to face off against Azuma in less than a month from now."

"Mm. That _is _fair."

"Besides," Kawachi shrugged, "you're nothing like Yukino or your dad. It wasn't like you were born evil or demon-bread-possessed."

Meister frowned. "I practically smirked at you when I coerced you into eating the Go-pan."

"You were under the control of it yourself. Also, I tried to force-feed Azuma the bread, so I don't think I'm much better than you."

"Understandable, but even if I was under the influence, it doesn't take away from the fact that I enjoyed doing that to you." He shuddered, shaking his head. "Sometimes I worry the influence isn't gone for good. That I'll end up betraying all of you again."

Kawachi went silent himself for a moment, thinking that over. He never really thought about that Go-pan influence coming back, but he didn't blame the General Manager for thinking of such an opportunity. Who knows what the demon-bread-possessed Yuiichi Kirisaki was up to?

"If that happens, I'll be the first one to know if anything is wrong. And you'll know the same with me." Kawachi looked him in the eyes, and Meister could not look away. "I don't think either of us are going to get away with betraying each other or anyone else without warning again, even if it was technically your father's fault."

There was silence again, but then a much more genuine smile. "Probably not." A pause, then, "And while we're on the subject of staying loyal to our coworkers and rescuing my father from demon bread, how about we finish up with lunch and get back to more training?"

Kawachi blinked as he registered the last bit. "Wait, what?"

"We need to get the Daruma wheat." Meister pointed out, giving him the faintest look, but the smile still remained. "After all, beating Azuma is our best option to obtain it."

Kawachi couldn't help but grin. "Sounds good to me."

Maybe things would get better from here, after all, even with some weird-bread-possession thing going on. They'd figure things out.

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Author note: The expression 'eating rice from the same pot' is apparently a Japanese idiom for 'sharing the same experiences.' For those that know Japanese idioms far better than I do, please let me know if I got this wrong. Thanks for reading!


End file.
